il palio

"e parve di  coloro che corrono a verona il drappo verde per la campagna;  e parve di costoro quelli che vine, non colui che perde"  

"and he seemed one of those who at Verona race for the green cloth across the fields;and of those he seemed the one who wins not the one who loses."

-Inferno, Canto 15

Oca, the contrada  of the goose, has won this years palio della provenzana.  The jockey,  Giovanni Atzeni, rode Mississippi to a spectacular finish-with four riderless horses trying their best to keep pace. 

The events of the day started with a blessing of the horses. Here is a link to see Mississippi's blessing at the Oca  church. Blessing of the horses. The contrade members, jockeys atop huge draft horses, and community members representing medieval guilds from weavers to sausage makers marched in an enormous parade. Perhaps Dante saw similar parades in Florence (one of the three largest cities in Europe during the time that he wrote the commedia). The quote at the beginning of this post reminds us that races (foot and even on bulls) were important events-culminating in the winning of the flag, cloth or palio for which today's event retains its name.

The piazza  was cool after the rains yesterday, and people were incredibly polite despite the large crowds. I was able to get up close to the fence just south east of the starting line. Several Italians helped me position my arm up high enough to take some photos. We had been warned that the crowds would feel crushing, we would be stuck inside the piazza for about 4 hours, and the heat would be oppressive. In fact, any small discomforts from standing for so long were dissipated by the excitement of the spectacle. (and another thing...since when is it a bad thing to be sandwiched for several hours between good looking Italians?) My favorite part of the event were the 15 minutes spent jockeying for position-quite literally. The jockeys circled their horses right in front of me-I could have touched them had I stretched out my arm-as each tried to claim the inside position at the starting line.

There is no starting gate, riders ride bareback, and dropping a simple thick rope like those you might find in a shipyard was the signal to start. The race can be viewed here: Siena tv by clicking on the palio coverage (upper right corner). 

The palio makes a majestic entrance in a medieval ox cart.

As I write this, the streets outside my window are throbbing with crowds of people singing and marching.The victory celebrations are centered on the street just above the fontebranda (see previous post). The palio itself will be carried through the streets by members of the contrada, and finally displayed in their contrada museum.